How To Choose Your Next Career Move: 40 Factors To Consider

There are many factors affecting how to choose your next career move, and what you prioritize changes over time.

One client prioritized location over all because he was part of a dual-career couple, and his wife had committed to a three-year residency and was not relocatable. Another client aspired to be a Chief Marketing Officer, so each of her career moves focused on adding a skill or expertise that she would need for the C-level job – people management, P&L responsibility, digital, etc. At one point, she had the range of skills but had no international exposure, so experience abroad became the priority. Yet another client took a detour from online companies into a brick and mortar business and felt he was losing his tech credibility, so moving back to tech and specifically a well-brand, fast growth start-up was a priority.

Here are 40 factors to consider in how to choose your next career move:

Industry

Function

Geography, part one – where are you living and working

Geography, part two – what customer or market are you focused on

Title

People management

Budget/ P&L management

Scope of responsibility

Career path available to you

Promotion opportunities

Learning opportunities

Client exposure

Cross-functional opportunities

Variety of work

Travel

Boss

Colleagues

Senior management

Direct reports/ team

Culture (emotional office environment)

Physical office environment

Dress code

Company mission

Company values

Company brand name

Company size

Company growth prospects

Base salary

Bonus

Equity, options, profit sharing

Security of compensation

Compensation growth

Perks

Tuition benefits

Retirement plan

Health benefits

Autonomy over your work

Flexible hours

Flexible location/ work remotely

Work/life balance

Most people prioritize a combination of many of these factors. When you think about how to choose your next career move, spend time getting clear about which factors are most important to you and what tradeoffs you’re willing to make. Know which factors are absolute prerequisites.

A quick way to get started is to select your top half from the list above and then keep picking the top half from each subsequent list till you can cut no longer. The factors you are left with are your most important factors in how to choose your next career move.

Finally, know how you will define and measure the most important factors – e.g., what bonus potential and structure matters to you, what flexibility do you want.